A New Life Again
by cantloseheart
Summary: Two new students come to school and meet Jeremie. But can they be trusted? The gang may not have a choice. This story takes place in the second season of Code Lyoko. I don't own the original characters. I do own Andie, Jak, and Cointreau.
1. Beginnings

**This chapter has been edited by my cousin. We'll just call him "Rockstar". The other chapters will be edited as well.**

Chapter 1: Here's to a New Life… Again

"Well, we're here."

The young girl looked up at her mother. Her brother, who was sitting next to her in the back seat of the car, looked at her solemnly. They weren't upset about going to a new school, they were just sad to leave their parents and their home. Their mother looked back at them with a sad expression on her face. She tried to smile, but it was difficult.

The girl tried to smile back. Her brother sensed her sadness and leaned over to squeeze her hand. Though they were complete opposites, they were best friends. Her hazel eyes were obscured by her long brown hair; eyes which contrasted the brilliant blue of her brother's, which shone underneath his neatly cropped, platinum hair. Though he was much taller and muscular, the two were obviously siblings in that often indiscernible way.

Their father pulled in front of the Academic building, and the family went to meet with the principal. The last of the arrangements went smoothly, and soon it was time to show the kids to their rooms.

"Would you like me to have another student come show you around?" the principal asked, addressing the siblings.

"Yeah," the brother answered, "that'd be great."

"Thanks," added his sister.

The principal called over the intercom to one of their best and brightest students: Jeremy Belpois. The principal smiled and added,

"Jeremy also has a nice little group of friends he can introduce you to. That will get you a head start on making friends. I'm sure they'd love to meet you." The principal felt very pleased with himself with this arrangement.

Jeremy arrived at the office and observed his new "friends." The girl was quite short but sort of pretty and her brother… well, Jeremy didn't ever want to be on the big one's bad side. He noticed first their attire… both dressed in black. She wore a standard tee shirt and jeans. The taller, scarier of the two wore a more dressy black vest over a white-collared button down, yet the way he held himself implied a more casual attitude than appearances might suggest.

He also noticed they were both wearing Converse®. She was wearing red and he was in dark green.

"Hi! I'm Jeremy," he said offering his hand. The large blonde boy stepped forward and took the smaller boy's hand in a firm but tender handshake.

"I'm Jak," he said, "This is my sister." He turned to the tiny brunette at his side.

"Hi! I'm Andie," she said taking his hand gingerly. She was sweet, but confident and Jeremy was perplexed. He was also worried about their luggage; anyone could just look at Jeremy and know that he could never get these trunks all the way to the dormitory. He was relieved to see their parents were coming along; but still carried Andie's backpack for her.

"I'm sure you'll really like it here at Kadic Academy. It's a very nice school, both socially and academically," Jeremy said, trying to be polite.

"Yes," said their mother, "We heard a lot of good things about this place; that's why we chose it. It was simply the best."

"Oh… of course," Jeremy said.

"How long have you been going here Jeremy?" Andie asked.

Jeremy smiled.

"It seems like forever."

They arrived at the dorm building and Jeremy motioned toward the elevator. It was a tight fit, but they all managed. Jeremy took them to Andie's room first. To the left was a bed and at its foot was a tall wardrobe. A desk lay against one wall; the other was empty.

Everything was tan.

They put her stuff in her room and got back into the elevator to go to Jak's room. On the way, Jeremy explained the dorm rules.

"The floors in the building are girl-boy-girl-boy so it's pretty easy to figure out which one is which. Andie's yours is on the third floor and Jak yours is on the fourth. We're allowed to go wherever we want during the day, but at eight everyone must be on their own floor. 9:30 is lights out."

"Now, can they visit each other in their rooms?" asked the concerned father. As Jeremy explained those rules and the exception for siblings, the new students were having a conversation of their own. Jak glanced at his sister,

_This kid is kinda weird_, he said with his eyes, tilting his head toward Jeremy.

_He seems alright_, Andie shrugged. Her brother only raised his eyebrows in response.

Jeremy directed them into another bedroom while still answering the anxious parent's questions. They placed Jak's trunk at the foot of his tan bed in a room identical to his sister's. Mom and Dad stood looking at their children sadly, who were nervously taking in their new home. Jeremy just stood there awkwardly.

"Well, um… I'll just let you guys get settled in. Dinner is in an hour and the cafeteria is right out front. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," their mom answered, "for everything. We really appreciate it." Jeremy smiled and blushed slightly. "It's no problem really." He looked up, gave a quick nod, and left the room.

"I'm sorry we can't stay for dinner, but the flight headed back to America leaves soon." Their mom looked like she was about to burst into tears. Jak walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder.

"Ma, we'll be okay!" he insisted, "You know we're used to changes."

"I guess that's mostly my fault," Their father sighed, "I'm really sorry to do this to you guys again." He gave his daughter an awkward side hug and ruffled her hair slightly, smiling warmly.

"Do you want us to help you unpack?" their mother offered, composing herself. Andie glanced at her brother and then turned to her parents.

"Yeah. I'd like some help in my room."

"Well okay. You coming Jak?" their father asked.

"I'll be down in a sec. I'm going to try to find a bathroom first."

The rest of the family headed downstairs and as soon as Jak felt that they were far enough away, he ran to his trunk and flipped it open. Out jumped a little orange Pomeranian.

"Hey there Cointreau," Jak spoke to the dog, "Wow, the old lady was right. You do travel well… not one accident." He pulled out the clothes from the trunk and prepared a little home for her. He laid the trunk on its side and propped the lid open. He put her blanket inside along with her food, water and her little toys (not squeaky, of course). He decided to put the makeshift dog house in the corner between the desk and the wardrobe. Cointreau sniffed around her new home before settling down.

The second her weight shifted the propped up "door" of her trunk snapped closed. Cointreau yelped a little in surprise. Jak hurried over to see if she was alright. Cointreau walked out and jumped on the bed, giving Jak a look that said she was rather annoyed with him. Jak sighed and turned the trunk rightside-up. _I'll just have to lock her in while he was gone_, he figured and he put a bowl of water down for her to drink_._ He slumped down onto the mattress, skooshing around a little bit to test for lumps. He sighed quietly again. _Well_, he thought_, I guess it's time to start a new life. Again._


	2. Introductions

Chapter 2: Introductions Usually Go Better Than This, Right?

Jeremy sat down hard on the bench, rattling the trays. He huffed loudly then spoke.

"Guys… I've got some news."

All three heads turned to look at him. Aelita placed a hand on Jeremy's.

"What's wrong?" She asked soothingly. He looked out her with shame filled eyes.

"There's been some… complications. You know I was called out early from class, right? Well it was to show these new students to their rooms and help them with getting to their classes. I'm sure the principle thought this was a nice little arrangement because I could introduce them to you guys and help them make friends and… well… obviously you see the issue here." He glanced up at his friends and tried to read their expressions.

"I fail to see the issue here," Aelita interjected. "It's not like we don't need help in Lyoko or anything."

"Well what if they're snitches?" Odd asked, annoyed, "The solution is simple: just don't act friendly and they'll go away eventually."

"C'mon Odd," Ulrich looked frustrated, "we can at least check them out first. They might not be so bad."

"Ugh here we go again!" Odd threw his arms up in the air, "Who died and put you in charge?"

"I'm not in the charge… it's just the mature thing to do."

"Mature!?" Odd exclaimed, "What did you know of mature?" Ulrich rolled his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Odd's eyes narrowed, "Why don't you do the 'mature' thing and ask Yumi out instead of playing with her feelings?"

"That's… that's not even the point!" Ulrich sputtered.

"It is SO the point, Ulrich. You just won't admit it."

"I don't have to take this!" Ulrich all but shouted as he stood up quickly, dinner tray in hand, and spun around to leave when SMACK!

He toppled into someone and they both ended up tangled on the floor, surrounded by trash and leftover food. Ulrich was about to apologize to the stranger when he felt them untangle themselves and stand up. He then noticed that they weren't standing up by themselves, but were being pulled up by a very big blonde boy.

"Oh my goodness! Ulrich? Andie? Are you alright?" Jeremy exclaimed.

"I'm fine," the tiny brunette said, brushing off her pants. She slapped away the large blonde boy's hand as he tried to help her stand up straight. "Jak, I'm fine!"

Ulrich stood up while apologizing,

"I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you. I was moving too quickly…"

"No, really. I'm alright. I'm sorry for sneaking up on you like that."

"Well, I guess introductions aren't really needed now," Jeremy said. "Guys, this is Andie and her brother Jak. Andie and Jak, this is Aelita and Odd and well…. You already met Ulrich." Andie and Jak were saying their hello's when Odd brushed past the others and looked concerned as he expressed his worry.

"You're sure you're alright?" He asked

"Really, I'm fine," she insisted as she and her brother were helping Ulrich pick up the trash. Odd took the paper plate from her hands and helped her stand up.

"Why don't you guys come and sit with us?" he asked with a coy smile.

"Uh… sure" Andie agreed as she looked to her brother for approval. He simply surged. Ulrich looked annoyed.

"Don't worry… _I'm_ fine!" he said, rolling his eyes.

As they were all sitting down, Odd put Andie in Ulrich's old seat next to himself and Jak sat next to her.

This put Ulrich across from Odd with Jeremy and Aelita on his right. Aelita (being Aelita) immediately struck up a conversation very easily.

"You guys are from America?"

"Yep. Born and raised!" Andie said, smiling.

"Your accents are fascinating," Jeremy interjected, "Where exactly are you from?"

"The state of Maryland. Its right above Washington, DC."

"Has it been difficult adjusting?" Odd asked. Andie laughed a little.

"Well we just got here so it's not that hard yet. It's weird not to have uniforms at school though."

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked.

"Well in America most private schools have uniforms. At least the one we went to did."

"What! Really? Geeze, I can't imagine!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"What's the food like around here?" Jak asked the first thing he said since coming in the room. Aelita jumped up.

"Oh gosh sorry! I was just so distracted I didn't think. You must be hungry!"

"It's alright," Andie said, smiling as usual, "I'm not particularly hungry anyway."

"I'm going to get some food," Jak said standing up.

"I'll come and let you know what's edible, if you like," Aelita offered. Jak smiled a little and agreed. The two of them walked over to the buffet.

"She's really helpful, isn't she?" Andie said, watching the pair from across the room.

"She's just happy about not being the 'new kid' anymore. And she likes to be of use," Jeremy answered.

"She's new?" Andie asked.

"Well she came here in the middle of last year, so it was hard for her at first. She's also not from around here."

"Oh, well she's really sweet," Andie said, smiling. Jak and Aelita returned with a small dinner for Jak.

"Doesn't look to bad," Andie observed

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Odd commented, "Breakfast is the best though."

"Well then," Andie laughed lightly, "I'm excited for tomorrow."

"You can sit with us tomorrow too. Right guys?" Odd looked up at his friends.

"Of course you can," Aelita said. Jeremy nodded in agreeance.

"Yeah definitely," Ulrich added.

"Well it's settled," Odd said, smiling at Andie. She looked away feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"We should be getting to bed," Jak said to his sister.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she agreed. The group of kids got up and threw away their trash as they walked out the door. They walked across to the dorms and Ulrich struck up a conversation with Jak regarding soccer. Aelita and Jeremy had their heads bent together and were whispering to each other, so Odd took this opportunity to talk to Andie,

"Well, just so you know if you need any help with finding your classes or stuff like that you can just let me know." He was trying to use his smoothest voice, and Andie could tell what he was trying to do.

"Thanks, Odd. I'll be sure to ask you," she said politely, but not flirty. Odd made another attempt.

"You know, we could go out for a movie sometime. On Fridays we're allowed to use the on-campus theater."

This surprised Andie.

"Oh… uhm. Odd, I'm not really dating right now. I'm sorry."

"Oh. You already have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"No, I'm just not looking for one right now. That's all."

Odd was taken aback by this.

"Oh, well… please still feel free to… er, come to me if you have any questions."

"Of course, Odd!" Andie's smile was back. They walked on silently [awkwardly] for a little while before Jak started looking around for his little sister.

"Andie? Where are you?"

"Here brother!!" she said as she caught up with him. Odd sighed as he walked behind Jeremy and Aelita.

"Having issues with the ladies, Odd?" Jeremy asked, jokingly.

"Haha…" Odd laughed bitterly, "It's not like I can rescue one from another world and have her fall instantly in love with me!" He stormed off with his hands in his pockets, kicking the ground. Aelita and Jeremy were suddenly very interested in their shoes and their conversation didn't continue. The group of six reached the dorm buildings and took the stairs up to the third and fourth levels. Aelita made sure that Andie knew that her room was just two doors down, and Jak was told that Jeremy's room was right next door and Odd's and Ulrich's room was right down the hall.

Andie snuck up to Jak's room as soon as the others were in their rooms.

"Hey… can I have her for tonight?" she asked her brother.

"Yeah of course," he answered, scooping up the little puffy pup. Andie gathered her up in her sweater, said goodnight to her brother, and snuck back down to her own bedroom. She changed into her pajamas while Cointreau played on the bed. There was two soft taps at the door. Andie threw the covers over the dog.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Aelita," came a muffled reply. Andie opened the door. "Hi! I was wondering if you wanted me to show you where the bathroom was."

"Of course, that'd be wonderful," she smiled. But then Cointreau started moving and yipping softly under the blanket. Aelita walked over and lifted the blanket and the puppy jumped out and started licking her face. She giggled.

"Aw, how cute!" Aelita laughed as she petted the puffy dog. She then looked at Andie and said, "Come with me. But be quiet."

They snuck quietly up the stairs to the boy's floor, grabbed Jak from his room, and then went to Ulrich and Odd. They were playing cards on the floor between their beds. Jeremy was sitting at their desk with his laptop, which he closed when Andie and Jak came in.

"Hi, guys. What's up?" He asked, tuning in his swivel chair.

"Well…" Aelita answered, "Andie just shared a little secret with me, so I figured we could share a little secret of ours."

The room was dead silent.

"Uhm… what… do you… er, mean… Aelita?" Jeremy stuttered. Aelita just smiled and turned to look at Odd.

"Your secret, Odd." He looked confused at first, but then his face lit up.

"OH! That secret!" He leaned over to the wardrobe and pulled open the bottom drawer. Out sprang the famous little grey dog Kiwi. He gave a little dog smile to Andie and Jak, and wagged his tail.

"Oh hi there!" Andie cooed as she rubbed the happy Kiwi. Jeremy let out a little sigh of relief.

"So you guys have a dog too?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah, Cointreau is in my room tonight. You guys will just have to meet her in the morning," Andie answered.

"How cool. We both have secret dogs. That's pretty ironic, huh?" Odd said to Andie, in his smooth voice again.

"Yeah. How long have you gotten away with it?"

"Oh, you know. Since I've gone to school here," he replied, putting his bad boy face on.

"That's cool. Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Goodnight everyone. See you in the morning," Andie said with her usual smile as she, Jak, and Aelita went back to their rooms. Odd sighed and slumped in his bed, throwing his cards on the floor.

"How come none of my normal tricks are working??" he asked to no one in particular.

"Well… what happened to 'Not being friendly' Odd? And making them 'go away'?" Ulrich asked, smiling.

Odd just glared from across the room.

"Maybe she's not your normal girl?" Jeremy suggested as he turned his laptop back on.

"What do you know? You've never been with a girl."

"Well… I've had some experience. And I know that some aren't going to just jump at every pick up line you use."

"What do you mean?" Odd rolled over on his side and looked at his friends, "Aren't all girls the same?"

Ulrich sighed.

"You've dated almost every girl in the seventh and eighth grade, and you still know nothing about girls?? That's ridiculous!"

"What do you mean I know nothing about girls?"

"Sometimes the best girls are worth working for!! You know: getting to know her, talking about things you both like, things she likes, spending time with her. It's not rocket science."

"Well… sometimes it feels like it! Introductions usually go better than this, right?"

"You never know," Jeremy answered. Smiling.


	3. Playing Cards

Chapter 3: Playing Cards

Yumi was walking to school like usual. Early. She hated staying for breakfast at her house because it was always so tense. Her parents had a huge argument last night and she didn't know how much more she could take. Her father was becoming abusive again, probably because he's been drinking lately. She found a bottle of vodka in the laundry room behind the detergents. She didn't know whether to tell her mother or not, and she had enough to worry about protecting Hiroki. She just arrived at the gates of Kadic Academy when tears ears sprang to her eyes. She really didn't know what to do, and before she could blink the tears away someone grabbed her and pulled her into the bushes. She tried to scream but a hand covered her mouth. She elbowed whoever was behind her in the ribs and she heard a muffled moan, but before she could get up another hand was covering her mouth again. She saw a flash of pink and blue as she rolled over onto her knees, punching whoever was next to her.

"Geeze Yumi! Chill out!" Odd cried, rubbing his arm, "You don't have to punch so hard."

Yumi recognized her friends sitting around her. She was relieved and annoyed at the same time.

"Well you guys didn't have to scare me like this! Why couldn't you just talk to me like normal people," Yumi answered, not entirely sorry for hurting Odd.

"We couldn't exactly approach you in the open Yumi. There's been some… complications," Ulrich said, holding his now bruised side. Yumi _did_ feel sorry for hurting Ulrich.

"What do you mean complications?" Yumi turned to Jeremy.

"Well, you see what happened was… I was called out of class early and it was to show these new students around," he answered, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Yeah, and?" Yumi inquired.

"Well, we're not entirely sure what to do."

"You see," Aelita cut in, "some of us think we could use some help in Lyoko. And, um… some of us are kind of…"

"Are kind of what?" Yumi asked.

"Infatuated," Aelita answered.

Yumi looked over at Odd.

"What? You automatically assume it's me?" Odd said, looking surprised, "Yumi. I'm hurt!"

"Oh, please. It's always you Odd. I've got a simple solution, just give them the cold shoulder and they'll go away eventually. And Odd? Stay away and there won't be any issues!" she said, punching his arm again.

"Haha," Ulrich laughed, still holding his side, "Sound familiar?" He looked over at his best friend. Odd made a face.

"I'm tired of all this arguing," Aelita sighed, "These are real people we're talking about. They have feelings too. Maybe they want to be our friends, or maybe they'll both make new friends and we won't have a problem. I think we should just wait this out."

"Aelita, we have a duty to perform. Sometimes we've got to make sacrifices, and this includes people's feelings," Jeremy said, trying to sooth her.

"Well I don't like it!" Aelita said harshly and she stormed out of the bushes and over to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"What's gotten into her?" Odd asked, slightly annoyed that he wouldn't be the first to get food.

"I don't know," Jeremy answered, "I'm a specialist on a lot of things, but female emotions aren't one of them."

The group found its way out of the foliage and over to the cafeteria. They sat at their customary table, separated from the rest of the students, and Odd noticed that Andie and Jak were already eating breakfast. They were sitting at a table with Xavier and Romain, some of the soccer players on the school team. Odd couldn't take his eyes off Andie. She was wearing her hair up today, and she was smiling. Always smiling. Odd couldn't help but smile a little himself, and he didn't realize he was walking towards her until Yumi grabbed his wrist.

"Odd what are you doing?" she glared at him. Odd pulled himself free, looking annoyed. He didn't protest though, he really didn't want to upset Aelita again. He, Yumi, and Ulrich went to the buffet line and soon Odd's tray was piled high with delicious breakfast foods. Jeremy and Aelita each had a muffin and some coffee with their heads bent over a book. After they had all eaten and they were getting up to leave, Odd felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You were right, Odd. Breakfast here really is good!" Andie smiled the smile that broke his heart.

"Yeah, well. I'm an expert at food," he joked. He decided to try Ulrich's way at getting girls [though it hadn't worked for him yet], "So what classes do you have?" he asked.

"Oh just the basics, you know: science, math, English. Only I have to take Spanish and Phys Ed. I'm not really looking forward to those."

"Well I have Phys Ed too so I'll be happy to help you out," he offered, trying not to sound flirty.

"Aw, thanks Odd," Andie smiled. Odd smiled too, until he turned and saw Yumi glaring at him. He decided to get back at her a bit.

"Hey Yumi! Come meet Andie and Jak," Odd called out to her, with a smug expression on his face. He knew she wouldn't be rude and ignore him.

"Hi. I'm Yumi," she said politely.

"I'm Andie," she said with her usual smile as she offered her hand to shake.

"I'm Jak," who did the same, but without a smile.

"It's nice to meet you both," Yumi answered, "Um, Jak. I hear that you're a year ahead of everyone else. I am as well. If you like… well… I'd be more than happy to help you if you need it."

"Oh, thanks," Jak answered, a little taken aback, "that'd be great."

"Um. Yeah. No problem."

Odd looked at Yumi, confused. Aelita rushed forward to say good morning.

"I hope you guys had a good night," she said, "Are you nervous for your classes?"

"Not really. Once I get a hang of this place I'm sure it won't be so bad," Andie answered.

"Oh good. Well if you like we could walk with you guys," she said, turning to Jeremy and Ulrich.

"Of course," Jeremy said, and the group of seven headed for their classrooms. The first part of the day was normal: Andie thoroughly enjoyed all her classes, even Phys Ed where she rocked the class at dodge ball. Jak was polite, but not outgoing. But of course all the girls were swooning over him. That is, until they noticed Yumi sitting next to him in almost all his classes.

"Hey, isn't that the girl that likes that seventh-grader?"

"Maybe she's developed better taste."

Yumi heard all the whispers, and it was a struggle for her to not turn around and lash out. She clenched her fists on the desk until her knuckles turned white. She didn't mean to come off like she was "with" Jak; she just didn't want to be rude. She turned to him, about to apologize for the rude gossip girls, when he leaned over,

"Don't listen to them," he whispered right in her ear.

Yumi was surprised, but she smiled and nodded her thanks. She didn't even care what that looked like to the other girls. The rest of the day went by fairly smoothly… that is, until she got the text:

Yumi:

Code X.

Ulrich.

She didn't really know what to do. She didn't want to ditch Jak, but was she was sure she was needed in Lyoko. Xana had been tripling his monsters that were guarding the towers. But since they probably couldn't go back in time, so she couldn't just pretend she didn't ditch him. She texted Ulrich back:

What am I supposed to do about Jak? I'll just stay here.

Yumi.

Ulrich replied:

Negative. Odd's already called that to stay with Andie. I'm sure Jak will understand.

_Ugh, Odd,_ Yumi thought, _always got to be the hero._

Luckily the bell rang just then so she turned to Jak,

"Hey, um… I may not be going to the next class. I hope you'll be okay."

"Um sure," he answered, and then looked concerned, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I guess. Just keep a look out for Odd," she said as she gathered her books and ran out the door.

_Weird_, Jak thought. But he just went to his next class without a second thought… until he heard the screams. He saw students running down the hallway outside the classroom door.

"What on earth is going on?" Mr. Gilles said as she walked to open the door.

As soon as she did thousands of cockroaches came rushing in through the opening. Girls shrieked as they jumped onto their desks, some toppling them over. Jak hopped up onto his chair swinging his book at the approaching bugs. He saw Odd doing the same thing outside the classroom door, trying to keep the insects at bay. Andie was right behind him with her own binder. Jak hopped from desk to desk until he reached the door, determined to protect his little sister. When he got to the door he jumped out and onto a bare part of the floor, or at least that's what he thought. The second before his foot contacted the floor the bugs rushed under and when he landed he slid and fell.

"Jak!" Andie screamed, but it was too late. Cockroaches started climbing over him, in his hair, in his clothes. He let out a cry as he tried to stand up and brush them off, but there were too many of them and he kept slipping and falling. And something else was wrong. Jak felt like he was slowly going blind. He brushed at his eyes to get the bugs off, but there weren't any. He felt like he was losing consciousness. As if he was losing the ability to control his body. He struggled against it as much as he could, but he wasn't winning. It was as if the bugs were hypnotizing him. He almost completely lost awareness when Odd came in, picked him up and dragged him into an empty classroom. Andie followed, brushing the bugs off her brother as fast as she could and crushing them with her binder. It took a while, but Jak felt like he was slowly coming back as the bugs dropped off him. He started to frantically brush his clothing to get the remaining cockroaches off.

"You okay?" Odd asked.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine now. Thanks," Jak answered. He slowly sat up, "What's going on?"

"Geeze… I dunno," Odd stammered, "We must be having a pest problem. The teachers should call an exterminator or something."

Jak looked suspiciously at the other blonde boy, but didn't ask anything further.

"OH Jak! I'm so glad you're okay!" Andie exclaimed.

Odd just slumped back in relief. His phone pinged and he read a text message and sent a reply. He looked out the windows, got another text and sighed. Jak was the only one to notice all this. Odd turned to the siblings,

"Coast is clear guys," he said pointing to the door.

"So, what now?" Andie asked.

"We find a teacher and see what they want us to do," Odd answered as he pulled the others into the hall, looked around for the bugs, and took off running. Jak and Andie kept up easily enough, but just as they got to the door to the outside Jeremy, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich showed up.

"Hey guys," Ulrich said, "Crazy bugs, right?"

"Um, yeah," Jak replied, unsure.

"Does stuff like this happen a lot?" Andie inquired.

"Uh, kinda," Odd answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The school is old," Jeremy interjected nervously, "a lot of pests get in, and things break. People even think there are ghosts."

"Uh-huh," Jak said, still suspicious.

The kids hurried outside to try and get with a group of other students without being seen by teachers, but it was too late.

"Mr. Della Robbia! Mr. Stern! The rest of you too? Goodness where have you been! We've been looking all over for you. Why does it always have to be you five? And now I see you've drug Mr. and Ms. Daugherty into it as well!" Ms. Hertz exclaimed as she grabbed Odd and Ulrich by the arms and pulled them to the other students. She continued lecturing them while Jeremy, Aelita, and Yumi followed solemnly.

"Wait," Jak called out to the teacher, "they were all with me. I had a mishap with the bugs trying to save my sister. They attacked me and started dragging me down the hall. I was scared that they'd eat me, but these guys jumped in and saved me."

"Oh, really? Well I'm so sorry Mr. Della Robbia, Mr. Stern. I didn't realize… please excuse my misunderstanding," she apologized as she gently led the children over to the grouping.

As soon as Ms. Hertz stepped away to stop a fight between ninth graders, Odd and Ulrich turned to Jak,

"Thanks man," Odd said, patting the bigger boy on the back.

"Yeah, you totally saved our hides there," Ulrich agreed.

"Well it's not like I was lying," Jak shrugged, "I just added a few more characters to the story."

The administrators we're wandering around the building and grounds looking for the cockroaches, but to no avail. They seem to have vanished into thin air! Of course word leaked back to the student body and everyone was perplexed. Everyone save five students. Well, five and a half. Jak was putting pieces together in his head. His sister was too worried about him to think straight.

Classes were canceled for the rest of the day; and after a thorough inspection of the cafeteria the students were permitted to have dinner. The normal group of five sat in their usual space and invited the other two to join them. Since everyone else in the room was yelling loudly about today's adventure, the group of seven was able to talk amongst themselves without worrying about eavesdroppers.

"So, uh… weird happenings, huh guys?" Odd said, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah, it is really weird!" Andie said, her smile falling, "Didn't you say that this kind of stuff happens a lot?" she asked, turning Odd.

"Oh, yeah!" Odd said, "Um, you know. It's an old school. Things happen," he said, unable to look her in the eye.

Jak still just sat there, remaining silent. He was eyeing Ulrich and Yumi, who seemed to be having a very intense, hushed conversation. He knew something was going on, he just hadn't figured it out yet.

The students finished their dinner and were escorted to the dorm building by a group of nervous teachers. Ulrich and Odd were in the bathroom brushing their teeth when Jak came in. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before taking the sink next to Odd.

"Hey, um… Odd?" Jak started, uncomfortably, "I didn't really express my thanks to you. I mean, you didn't even hesitate to help me. I just want to say thank you, and if there is anything I can do to repay you please tell me."

"Oh. No problem Jak. Really, it was just instinct. I'm sure you'd do the same thing. And you did cover for us later," Odd answered.

"Well yeah," Jak said, with a slight smile. Odd smiled back. "Well, have a good night," Jak said as he gathered his toiletries and started to walk out the door.

"Hey Jak? If you like, you could come to our room and play cards with us," Odd offered, glancing at Ulrich.

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Jak answered. The three boys then left together and went to the small dorm. They sat on the floor between the two beds and dealt out a game of Black Jack. Everything was going fine until Jeremy walked in carrying his laptop and not paying attention.

"Hey guys. I was thinking about the attack earlier…" he looked up just then and noticed Jak was in the room.

"Attack?" Jak asked.

"Yeah… the bug attack. And, um, I found out they were Australian cockroaches," he quickly covered up.

"Really? Those are around France?" Jak asked, suspiciously.

"Uh-huh. They've been seen in Europe before."

"Huh," was all Jak said, and he returned to the card game.

Jeremy took his usual place at the desk, and Aelita came in not too much later with Andie to watch the boys play cards and poke fun at who was losing. They sat and chatted about nothing in particular. The girls talked about girl things, and the boys fought over who was winning and what the rules were [Jeremy had to intervene once or twice, looking up rules and regulations online]. All in all it was a good night, but after everyone went to bed Ulrich and Odd stayed up to talk.

"Do you think we're getting too close?" Ulrich asked.

"What do you mean? I haven't made a move on Andie all day," Odd answered, slightly annoyed.

"No. I meant with both of them, as friends. I mean we had an attack and it was pretty obvious. I think Jak may be suspicious."

"Well he covered for all five of us! I think he's a trustworthy guy. And Andie seems like she knows what she's doing too."

"Yeah, I guess," Ulrich answered, rolling over to his back.

"I mean, we were just playing cards," Odd said.


	4. Too Close

Chapter 4: Too Close

A few days later the gang was sitting at breakfast. All seven of them. Andie and Jak had been tagging along with the other five kids for a little less than a week now, and things were going pretty well. Lately there had been no attacks and the siblings were doing more than good in their classes. All in all life was going pretty well for the group. This morning they were discussing music.

"I'm telling you, 80's was the best time for music!" Andie practically screamed at Odd.

"WHAT? It was totally the 90's!" he retaliated

"You've got to be out of your mind," she threw her arms up in defeat.

"No Andie, YOU are. The 90's was great for techno."

"Yes, but 80's was the best time for metal!" Andie said in a 'duh' voice.

"Don't make me put you two in separate corners," Yumi said sarcastically, as she sipped her coffee.

"Hush up, Mom," Odd said and stuck out his tongue. Yumi stuck her tongue out too. Jeremy looked up over his laptop and smirked,

"You guys 1800's were the best."

"What the heck was in the 1800's?" Odd asked, annoyed that the conversation turned into something smart.

"Beethoven wrote his first symphony. Life just got better from there."

Odd and Andie sighed at the same time, looked at each other, and said,

"JINX!! You owe me a soda!"

"Guys, I'm pretty sure sighing at the same time doesn't count as a 'jinx'," Jeremy rolled his eyes. These two had been arguing over music and "jinxing" themselves all week.

"Does too!" Odd and Andie said simultaneously, "JINX!"

Ulrich just sat at the opposite end of the table as the squabbling two. He smiled as he mashed up his already mashed scrambled eggs, not really eating. He liked seeing Odd happy, and he liked it even more that he was right. Odd had been himself around Andie and they really hit it off! Ulrich was also upset that he couldn't take his own advice when it came to Yumi. He _was_ himself around her, but he just didn't know how to transition it into a deeper friendship, and from there to a relationship. He looked over at her, shyly. She took another sip of her coffee as she read over the paper she had written the night before. She tucked her hair behind her ear and Ulrich's stomach flipped. She had the most amazing eyes; so dark and thoughtful, but cunning and playful at the same time. She looked up at him at that moment, but instead of looking away quickly like he usually would Ulrich looked back.

_I love you_, he thought, _I love you and I will tell you soon_. He smiled at her, and to his surprise she smiled back. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. The group finished up their breakfast and started to head to class. But Jak pulled Andie back behind the rest and whispered in her ear.

"There's something going on with these kids. Something isn't right."

"What are you talking about?" she whispered back.

"They're hiding something, I just know it!" he insisted.

"Like what?" she asked, slightly annoyed. He knew she didn't believe him.

"Like that thing with the bugs. These kids seemed to know what was going on. Odd knew exactly what to do, remember? And when the cockroaches were all over me, it was like they were hypnotizing me… almost like they were trying to take over my body."

"You were probably just going into shock or something," Andie answered, practical as always, "I think you're just being paranoid."

Jak sighed. Maybe he was just being paranoid… No. He knew something was up and he was going to find out. Though he couldn't figure out was why they hadn't done anything weird this past week. Well, Jeremy was always hiding his laptop from sight, and Yumi was always glancing suspiciously at Jak. But other than that they hadn't done anything. There was no sneaking off or weird happenings going on. He decided to just keep an eye on them and see what happens.

While Jak and Andie were whispering to themselves behind the rest of the gang, Yumi pulled Jeremy and Aelita aside.

"You guys, I think Jak knows something," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Aelita asked.

"I don't think he knows everything, but he's definitely suspicious. I've been keeping an eye on him and he seems to be putting pieces together."

"I agree, Yumi. He is definitely on to something, but maybe his guesses are completely off. Maybe he just thinks we're rebels or something," Jeremy said.

"No I think it's more than that. Remember he covered for us with the bug thing? He knows we had something to do with it."

"Guys," Aelita interjected, "its fine. They're nice, smart kids who just need friends. I say we leave it alone."

"And I say they're getting _too close_! At least Jak is," Yumi retorted.

"Well we can't very well just ignore them now," Jeremy pointed out, "It's gone too far."

"I know that's the problem!" Yumi insisted, "We can't just sneak off whenever there's an attack. And we can't go into the past every time. What are we supposed to do? Take them with us?"

"Yes!" Aelita all but yelled. She usually was shy and quiet, but lately this whole thing had been getting on her nerves. Yumi didn't push the subject further. She just huffed and caught up with Ulrich and Odd.

"Aelita… we can't just ignore the problem. We're going to have to decide soon," Jeremy said, trying to calm her and talk sense into her at the same time.

"I know," she answered, "I really think we can trust them."

Jeremy put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder as a sign of comfort. She leaned her head into his and whispered in her quietest voice.

"When are we going to tell them about us?" she asked.

He just smiled and kissed her on the temple,

"We can tell them whenever you want to."

"How about at lunch?"

"How about now?" he asked, with a devilish grin that was very uncharacteristic. He grabbed her hand and ran off to the others ahead shouting, "Hey you there! We have something to tell you!!!!"

Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Jak, and Andie all turned with a puzzled look on their faces.

"What?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah… we're going to be late for class," Yumi added.

"Well this is more important," Jeremy insisted. He cleared his throat, squeezed Aelita's hand and announced: "We're official. We've decided to stop hiding our feelings and just come out with it…" He stuttered for a second, "I, uh…"

"I love Jeremy," Aelita finished, smiling the brightest smile.

"And I love Aelita," Jeremy finally said, smiling as well. They both looked up at the group of kids in front of them. Yumi looked amused while Ulrich smiled. They both knew this was coming. Odd's jaw was practically touching the ground in shock, and Jak and Andie looked confused.

"You mean you guys weren't already going out?" Andie asked.

"Um…. No," Jeremy answered.

"Oh! Wow, you guys just seemed so close. I assumed that you were a pair."

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN???" Odd asked, "I mean I've know you since forever and I had no idea!!!!"

"That's because you're so dense Odd," Yumi laughed. Ulrich laughed with her. Soon everyone was laughing as they headed to their first period class together. Late.

Because the day started out so cheerfully, it continued to be pleasant. Even the teachers pardoned them for being late. Lunchtime rolled around and the gang was still very cheery as they sat down with their trays of sandwiches and whatnot. They talked happily about the morning, while Jeremy and Aelita held hands on top of the table. It was about halfway through lunch when Sissy sauntered over trailed by her two cronies.

"Well… I had heard about you two new students but haven't had the chance to meet you yet. I'm Sissy Delmas, the principal's daughter. And you will do well to remember that."

"Hi!" Andie replied with her usual smile, "I'm Andie, and this is my brother Jak."

"Hello," he said pleasantly, but barely making eye contact with her. Sissy just huffed and turned her attention to Ulrich.

"Well Ulrich, dear, it looks like I've got another girl to look out for now. She might try to steal you away from me!"

"Ugh. Sissy, it's not like that…" Ulrich tried to explain. He was so tired of her pretending like they were still together. He felt like it was giving Yumi the wrong signals. He wished his feelings didn't get all jumbled up all the time.

"Well whatever!" Sissy answered, "Just you stay away from her!"

Ulrich finally had enough of this. He was determined to set things straight so he could have a clean start with Yumi.

He finally found his courage.

"Look Sissy!" he stood up from his bench, "We're through! We've been through for a while now! Why can't you just accept that? And no! I will not just stop hanging out with my friends just because you tell me to. You can't tell me what to do or who to like. I am not yours to control anymore so just… just… BACK OFF!!!"

"What… well I… FINE!" Sissy yelled back, rushing away as hot tears welled in her eyes. Herb and Nicholas chased after her as she stormed out the doors of the cafeteria.

Ulrich sat back down next to Odd who cheered for him.

"Yeah! That was great Ulrich!! I can't believe you finally stood up to her and she really listened!"

"Yeah…" Ulrich responded. He was slightly jittery. He didn't really know how to react. He could fight in Lyoko all day long, but a real world issue really took a toll on him. He sighed trying to calm down.

"Thanks Ulrich," Andie said quietly.

"What? Oh, yeah. It's not your fault Andie. She does this with everyone… I just finally got the nerve to tell her to stop."

"Well that's good!" she said with her famous smile. Yumi was smiling too, but she was trying to hide it behind the tuna sandwich she was eating. Ulrich noticed. Maybe soon he would get the courage to talk to her. Really talk to her, about everything.

Lunch ended and the kids dispersed to their afternoon classes which put Ulrich, Odd, and Andie in gym together. They were playing soccer. Jim put Andie as goalie for the first game, trying to see what she was made of. She crouched nervously with her hands bent at the elbow, hands up and palms out. She gulped as the ball was taken from Odd, dribbled down the field, and shot right in the left corner of the goal. She dove a full second late. Ulrich ran over to get the ball and whispered to Andie,

"Don't worry. It's just a class... just do your best and don't get too nervous. Jim's just a jerk."

She smiled back at him, thankful for the advice, but still very, very scared. The second time the ball was kicked towards her she swatted it out of the net. Since it went past the goal posts it still counted as a point, but she was becoming more confident. The next one she caught in her gut. The one after that she slid and stopped before it even got three feet away from the goal. She started to really enjoy herself and from that moment on nothing got by her. She was smiling triumphantly as she walked back to the gym building, Odd and Ulrich on either side of her.

"You did great!" Ulrich said, patting her on the back.

"YEAH! You totally rocked out there! You were like 'BAM' and then like 'WHACK'. It was awesome!"

"Thanks guys!" she said, embarrassed by all the attention. She waved at them as she walked into the girl's locker room. Since she was really active this class she took her time in the shower, and when she was done all the other girls were gone. She got dressed and walked up to one of the mirrors. She took out her brush and as she was trying to untangle her impossible hair, she noticed something in the mirror. One of the sockets sparked. She thought nothing of it; Jeremy did say that the school was old. It was probably just some faulty wiring. Then she saw something move. She spun around quickly.

"Hello?" she called out.

"_Hellooooooo_," someone (or something) whispered. Suddenly a thick black smoke came from the socket and straight for Andie. She barely had time to scream.

The last thing Andie remembered was falling to the floor.

"Andie? ANDIE!!!??" she heard someone yelling her name. She also felt someone lifting her head and putting it on something more comfortable.

A phone rang.

"Jeremy? Yeah Andie's been attacked! How do I know? I just do! Get Yumi and Aelita to Lyoko NOW!"

It was Odd's voice yelling into the phone. She tried to tell him she was alright, but all she could do was open her mouth.

"Wait Odd… I think she's waking up!" she heard Ulrich say.

"Andie? Andie can you hear me? Are you alright?" Odd was right next to her now, holding her hand.

"Uhhhhh… Odd?" Andie whispered.

"Yes! Yes Andie I'm here. Don't move it'll be over soon," Odd said, trying to sooth her. He rubbed her hand with his thumb.

"What… what's going on?" she asked.

"Don't talk," Ulrich advised her, "You should save your strength."

"Jak… Jak knew you guys were… up to something," she whispered. Odd and Ulrich looked at each other to make sure they had heard what they thought they heard. Just then Odd's phone rang again.

"Hello? Yeah. No, she's awake and talking but still hurt. What's going on? Nothing? What do you mean nothing? He shut it down himself? Why would he do that? Alright never mind. But listen, she just said that Jak was suspicious… Yeah, yeah I know. Well don't go into the past now! Well XANA attacked her directly, maybe even possessed her. She's bound to remember anyway, right? Well she seems fine now… Hold on I'll check."

Andie felt Odd push her hair away from her forehead and inspect each of her hands.

"Hey Andie," he whispered to her, "I'm going to lift up the bottom part of your shirt if that's alright… I just need to look at your stomach real quick."

She nodded and he pulled her shirt up ever so slightly, just to make sure there was no mark.

"Jeremy?" he spoke back into the phone, "Yeah she has no markings. Yes of course we'll bring her to the infirmary!! Alright. Meet you there."

He terminated the call and took Andie from Ulrich. Both boys rushed her to the nurse as fast as they could without jostling the girl.

"Goodness! What happened to her?" Andie heard a woman yell. She felt herself being placed on a bed as Odd and Ulrich tried to explain.

"We found her just outside the locker room. She must have slipped on some water or something."

"Did she hit her head?"

"We don't know… she was just lying there."

Andie felt the nurse do a quick check of all her limbs, head and chest. She opened one of Andie's eyes and flicked the light of her penlight across her pupils. Andie winced at the brightness.

"Andie? Andie dear can you hear me?" the nurse was asking.

"Mmmm," Andie responded, trying to roll her head.

"Oh don't move dear! I just wanted to see if you were conscious. Boys, why don't you go find that friend of yours… Aelita, and have her go into Andie's room to get her some extra clothes."

"Alright," Ulrich said, "C'mon Odd!" He pulled his reluctant friend out the door.

"Andie? You're going to be spending the night here… I just want to make sure you don't have a concussion. What day is it today?"

"Uhm… Friday," Andie answered.

"And what's your brother's name?" The nurse continued with the questions.

"Jak. Where is he?" Andie asked.

"I'll have someone call him here just as soon as I'm done. Now, do you remember what happened?"

Andie didn't know what to say. No one would believe that some black smoke from a socket had attacked her. What was Odd saying in the pone? Something about Yumi and Aelita going to Lyoko? And who was XANA? Whatever he was, he attacked her.

"I slipped on some water when I was walking out to my next class. The next thing I remember was Odd and Ulrich carrying me here," she said to the nurse. Odd and Ulrich's story seemed to be the most plausible.

"Right. Well I'm sorry to say that you won't be getting very much sleep tonight. You'll probably wind up with a headache, and I'll have to keep asking you questions like these to make sure you didn't hit your head hard enough to do some serious damage."

"Mmmm," was all Andie had to say. The nurse said she'd be right back with some pain medication and left Andie by herself. She struggled to prop herself up on her elbows, but her head was spinning so much she couldn't keep her balance. She decided to try to open her eyes and see what was going on. She had never been to the infirmary before, but it was as she expected: white. Andie looked around for some outlets, just to make sure this XANA/black smoke didn't try to get her again. She saw the door open, and she almost screamed until she saw it was Aelita and Jak with the rest of the gang.

"Andie! Are you alright? What happened?" Jak was unusually loud as he ran over to his baby sister, checking her forehead.

"Ha… I don't have a fever, Jak," she laughed at her silly sibling.

"Oh, right. I just don't really know what to do," he admitted, as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"I'm alright. Really. I just slipped and fell coming out of the locker room. Apparently I hit my head pretty hard, but I don't think I'm concussed."

"Good, good," Jak said as he rubbed his sister's hand.

"I brought you some clothes," Aelita said, walking over to the bed, "I got your pajamas, and a change for tomorrow. Oh, and your toothbrush."

"Thank you Aelita," Andie smiled, "And thank you Odd and Ulrich. You guys really saved me back there."

"It was no problem," Ulrich said, "I'm just glad you're gonna be alright."

"Yeah," Odd agreed, "that's what really matters."

Just then the nurse came back with a bottle full of white pills for Andie to take. She then shooed the group of kids back to their afternoon classes saying that Andie would be fine and they could visit her later.

They did. After dinner Odd came triumphantly through the door of the infirmary, holding a tray of food.

"Here," he said, as he placed the tray on her lap, "I know you're not going to eat the mush they give you here."

"Hehe, thanks Odd," Andie said as she put a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad you'll be alright. How are you feeling?"

She swallowed.

"I'm alright. I don't even have a headache."

"Good," he said, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

"Uhm… Odd? I uh, couldn't help but overhearing what you were saying to Jeremy on the phone. When you found me that is. And uh, I know that whatever Jak is thinking is true. That you guys are up to something."

"Yeah. Yumi had a feeling he had figured it out," Odd answered, "It's not a simple matter… so I don't know if we'll be able to tell you."

"I think I deserve to know, since this XANA person is after me now," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"You're right Andie… you're right," Odd trailed off, "I'm not exactly sure how to tell you, Jeremy's the one who is better at these kinds of things."

"I can wait," she said, "as long as you don't try to 'go into the past' and erase my memory and stuff."

She gave a coy smile and winked. He smiled back.

"No worries. I'll be sure to have Jeremy fill you and Jak in. But for now you need to rest. Everything will be explained tomorrow when you're better."

"Fine," she said as Odd took her finished tray away. She lay down on her side and closed her eyes, "Goodnight Odd."

"Goodnight Andie," he said. He smoothed some of her hair away from her face. Gosh she was so pretty. He left the room and walked slowly back to his dorm with his hands in his pockets. Tomorrow will change everything.


	5. Lyoko

**Okay! So, I've noticed that there are LOTS of visitors on my story…. And only one person reviewed! [Thank you, my dear elle127]. After talking about this with my sisters we decided that since I don't put any Authors Notes at the beginning or end of my story you feel like I'm not connecting with you. **

**Or maybe you just don't like my story. Either way I'd like you to review!! (Even if it's just criticism)**

**So… I'm going to start asking you guys about what should happen in this story. Does that sound good? We have a deal? Good. So at the end of this story I will give you something to think about for a few chapters ahead!**

**Be excited. O.O**

Chapter 5: Lyoko

The very next morning Andie was deemed well enough to go back to her normal schedule. She was gathering her things when Jak came in to help her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like myself again!" she said with her charming smile.

Her brother actually smiled back, then his eyes misted.

"I really didn't know what to think yesterday… I mean, you could have been a lot worse. I was just so worried about you, Squeaker," he choked out. Andie was the only person he was ever vulnerable around. They understood each other like no one else.

Andie's eyes watered at the sound of her childhood nick name.

"I'm alright Tak," she said, responding with his childhood nickname (she couldn't pronounce her "j's" when she was a baby).

He reached down and hugged her tight.

"Don't ever do that again!" he insisted.

All she could do was nod. He finally released her and they wiped their eyes and made their way to breakfast.

"Oh, by the way you were right," Andie said to her brother.

"Right? About what? Wait, the kids? Really? What is it? What are they doing? Gosh I can't believe you didn't say anything sooner!" Jak said, getting more and more excited.

"Well they haven't told me everything! I just know my accident had something to do with whatever they're up to. I heard Odd talking to Jeremy on the phone… something about someone with a name that started with a "Z"… and some place they had to go to. I dunno, I was pretty out of it," she shrugged.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked

"Well Odd said he'd explain it to me. I think I ought to know because whatever this is, it's attacking me now."

Jak just nodded. He was in his contemplative mode. Andie bet he was trying to figure out exactly what was up before they were told. He liked challenges like that. He probably wouldn't say anything for the rest of the day.

_**Meanwhile .**_

The original five members were meeting in Jeremy's room and Odd was explaining what had been said when he visited Andie last night.

"She said she thought she deserved to know what was going on… I mean XANA did attack her. He must be doing it for a reason."

"And did you tell her?!?" Yumi asked, troubled.

"No! I told her it wasn't simple and that Jeremy would have to do it," he answered, annoyed.

Yumi sighed with relief. Odd turned to Jeremy, "So… how about it?"

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak.

"Of course he's not going to tell them!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Who asked you, Yumi??" Odd yelled, annoyed.

"Well…" Jeremy tried to interject.

"We can't tell them!!! We just can't take that chance!" Yumi was practically screaming on the top of her lungs.

"Yumi…" Ulrich attempted to step in.

"Why? How big of a chance is this?" Odd demanded to know.

"We don't know if we can trust them!!!" Yumi cried with frustration, "You're just blinded by infatuation!"

"Um…" Jeremy tried to cut in.

"XANA wants Andie for some reason. Don't you think that's important?" Odd shouted.

Suddenly there was a piercing whistle ringing in the air that caused the two arguers to cover their ears.

They turned to Jeremy,

"Now that I have your attention," he said as he took off his glasses and cleaned them, "I believe the original question was directed to me."

He inspected his glasses and, not satisfied, continued to clean them. "I don't know who put me in a position of power… but I know that even if that was the case, it wouldn't be right to make this decision all on my own. We're a group effort here and that's how we'll stay. I won't let something like this get between us. We're going to put it to a vote."

"Well you know where_ I_ stand," Odd said, crossing his arms.

"Me too," Yumi mimicked his movement. They exchanged glares.

"Well I think they would make a great addition to our team!" Aelita exclaimed, "I hate it that were fighting about this and letting it come between us!"

She went and stood next to Odd.

Jeremy sighed.

"I don't know if I've formed my opinion fully yet… But it's hard to just trust two kids who we don't know very much about."

"What do you mean?" Aelita seemed very hurt, "We've been around them for a whole week! Shouldn't that be enough?"

"I just don't know… I'm sorry." Jeremy stood next to Yumi.

Ulrich was the only one left.

"Oh… c'mon guys! Don't make me that guy!!!" Ulrich sighed.

"You have to decide Ulrich," Yumi said.

"No. I don't. I can't. This isn't fair!"

"If you chose not to vote it will automatically default to a 'no'," Jeremy pointed out.

"Why?" Aelita asked, "Why does it have to be an automatic 'no'? Why can't it just not count? That seams the most fair."

"But then I'm the only one over here!!" Yumi was frustrated.

"So we win!" Odd smiled triumphantly.

"NO! You don't win Odd… This isn't fair. They should have to vote!"

"They don't _have_ to! And life isn't fair chica! Get used to it."

"Do I need to whistle again?" Jeremy asked calmly. Yumi and Odd stopped yelling and turned to face him, "Thank you. Since we obviously can't come to an agreement I think we should give this time. It's not a 'yes' or a 'no'… it's simply a 'wait'."

"But that means 'no' right now," Odd complained.

"Well I think it's fair," Yumi said.

Ulrich nodded in agreeance, seeming very interested in the floor.

"Well YOU'RE going to have to explain this to her. Explain to her why we're not going to tell her what's attacking HER," Odd said in a hot whisper. He jabbed his finger towards Yumi, turned on his heel, and stormed out of the room.

Yumi was slightly taken aback by this, as were the rest of the gang. No one had really seen Odd passionate about something like this before, let alone a girl. Before, not two weeks ago, girls were just a challenge to Odd. But now it's as if he's been transformed.

"Jeremy," Yumi said in a lighter tone than she'd been using, "You know we can't just say no, they're going to figure it out soon. We have to go into the past."

"Yeah," Jeremy sighed.

Aelita just looked like she was about to cry. She looked at Jeremy solemnly and walked out of the room. Jeremy sighed again. He knew better than to chase her. She needed time alone.

Yumi, Jeremy, and Ulrich made their way to the cafeteria and sat down at their normal table. Andie and Jak were already there with their breakfast foods.

"Morning," Andie said merrily.

"Morning," Ulrich answered, sitting.

Yumi and Jeremy also sat without getting food. No one was really hungry.

"Where's Odd and Aelita?" Andie asked no one in particular.

"We thought they would come here, but I guess not," Jeremy answered, "They're not very happy with us. We um… can't tell you guys what's going on. We couldn't come to a decision at all, actually. We just think it's best to wait right now."

Andie's smile fell and her face became very serious. Jak seemed to have no reaction.

"Whatever it is that you guys know about… it's after me," Andie said calmly, "I think I deserve to know."

"We understand that…" Jeremy went to answer, but Yumi cut in.

"This is a big thing," she began, "It's bigger than you or me or all of us combined. Bigger than this school! This is a worldwide situation now and it's not a decision we can make lightly. We know that something is up, and the minute we look into it we'll be sure to tell you, but for now we just can't."

Andie nodded, but Jak looked angry.

"Whatever this is that's attacking her is doing it for a reason!" he said in a curt tone of voice, "There is something more going on than any of us are aware of."

"Yes, we know that," Jeremy answered evenly.

"Then why aren't you figuring it out? Why aren't you 'working on it' now?"

"We obviously can't just go of whenever we please. We have to keep up appearances, so to say," Jeremy explained, strangely annoyed. Jak didn't understand how hard they really did work! This wasn't an easy job.

Jak didn't seem satisfied.

"I understand that this is an important thing," Jak calmly said, though he was upset, "but whatever this is it obviously has its eyes set on my sister. And we deserve to know what it is!"

"_We_ understand your want for information," Jeremy said, obviously annoyed, "and we're not saying no. We're just saying that we need more time to think about this!"

Jak just nodded, but not happy. Andie seemed troubled, but she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," Ulrich said. Yumi didn't look either of the siblings in the eye.

Odd walked in the door, and seeing that Andie and Jak were sitting with the gang (and not looking too happy), his scowl got deeper. He went and got his food, took a seat at the table with his friends, and didn't eat. He just sat there and stared at his tray, drumming his fingers on the edge of the tray. Everyone was unnaturally quiet. Aelita never came to breakfast.

The bell finally rang. Jak and Andie just looked at each other before walking out ahead of the group. They were both in no mood to talk. Odd caught up with them and walked silently next to Andie, thinking of words to say.

"I guess they told you?" he finally got the courage to ask.

"Yeah," Andie answered, mad.

"If it means anything… I wanted them to tell you. But we're a team, you know? I can't make the decision for them."

Andie nodded, her anger at Odd reluctantly evaporated. She knew she couldn't be rightfully mad at him, but she was so disappointed and hurt she didn't know what to do.

The rest of the day went by without any issues, except for the fact that everyone in the gang (including the two newbie's) was silent. They only spoke when they needed to. Everyone had a lot on their mind.

After school ended and dinner was over, everyone was in their own rooms. Andie was lying on her bed, still dressed, almost on the verge of tears. She didn't know what to do, and she was scared now! She knew something was after her and she wasn't allowed to know what. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and got up. She got into her pajamas, grabbed her toothbrush, and started for the bathroom. When she got there she noticed Aelita was already at one of the sinks.

"Hi," the pink haired girl said in a small voice when she noticed that Andie had come in.

"Hi," Andie answered. She took the sink next to her. The tension could be cut with a knife.

"Andie?" Aelita asked, "I'm sorry. I want to tell you and Jak but…"

"But it's not just your decision," Andie finished, "Yeah, Odd said the same thing. I understand Aelita and I'm not mad at you."

"Thanks," Aelita sighed, "that means a lot."

Andie could only smile. She was still hurt, but she knew that Aelita didn't mean any harm. They finished up and went to their rooms. They said goodnight outside their doors before going in their dorms and climbing in bed.

At two in the morning Odd was still awake. He couldn't sleep because of the guilt that was pulling at his chest. He rolled over and looked at the outline of where Ulrich was sleeping. Odd could hear his friend muttering in his sleep as he usually did, and he could swear he heard Yumi's name a few times. He sighed, and got up. He didn't want to think about girls right now. Odd slipped on his slippers and trudged down the hallway. He didn't really know where he was going, he just walked. In the back of Odd's mind he was thinking about Andie (of course) and so he found himself in the hallway where her dorm room was. He sighed. The guilt grew stronger. He leaned against the wall next to her door and sank to the ground. Odd wrapped his arms around his knees and put his head down. He felt a lump rise in his throat and he quickly swallowed. His shoulders shuddered, the hallway suddenly felt cold because the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.

Odd recognized that feeling, and he knew it wasn't the cold. His head shot up just as he saw the tail end of a dark grey fog slip under Andie's door.

"ANDIE!" Odd yelled as he grabbed the doorknob. He hesitated for a moment, boys were forbidden to go into girl's room especially at night. But what choice did he have? He rushed in and saw Andie convulsing on her bed, "Crud crud crud!!!"

Odd ran to Aelita's room which was right across the hall, "Aelita wake up! XANA attack!!" he shook her shoulders.

"Huh? What?" Aelita shot up in bed and pulled the covers up to her chest, "What are you _doing_ here Odd??"

"Andie! She's… she's being attacked. XANA is possessing her I think… I don't know. She's convulsing!"

Aelita was out of the room before Odd even said "XANA".

"Oh man oh man!" Aelita was saying. She touched Andie's forehead and Andie's eyes shot open. The pupils struggled between XANA's symbol and Andie's own eyes.

"H-h-h-help!" Andie struggled to say.

Aelita removed her hand from the brunettes head and she started shaking even more. Aelita had an idea. She put her hand on Andie's arm and she didn't tremble as hard. Andie put both hands on her arms and she barely quivered and some of the smoke came out of her mouth and dispersed.

"Odd… me touching Andie seems to be repulsing XANA. Like opposite magnets!"

"What? Ugh, never mind. I'll go get Jeremy," Odd ran off to Einstein's room as Aelita lay next to the shaky Andie. The pink haired girl put her arm around the now still girl and closed her eyes. Aelita was trying to channel some of her Lyoko energy into Andie. When she opened her eyes she noticed Andie's were open as well… and as hazel as they were before. Above her mouth a cloud of dark grey smoke that dissolved into the air. She looked at Aelita.

"What happened?" Andie asked.

"You were attacked," Aelita responded, "My presence drove XANA away. You're alright now."

She sat up just as Jeremy walked in.

"Um… Aelita?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"She was attacked. AGAIN!" Aelita answered with a fierce look. She sat up, continuing her glare. Jeremy was very taken aback and could only stutter.

"Andie… I'm… I just… if I knew…" he couldn't form a full sentence.

Andie was just trying to catch her breath, but she reached up and squeezed Jeremy's hand in reassurance. Jeremy squeezed back.

"I'm going to go get Jak, if you want," he said.

"Yeah, thanks," Andie answered, trying to sit up.

"Hey, don't push yourself," Odd said, sitting down next to her and putting his arm around her shoulder.

She leaned her head on his neck and Odd's body become rigid, but then he relaxed and laid his head on top of hers. She let out a little sigh and closed her eyes.

Jak chose this moment to walk in.

"WHAT HAPPENED???" he practically exploded.

"Shh!!" Aelita urged him, "We can't wake anyone up!"

"Are you okay?" Jak asked his sister, in a softer voice.

"I'm alright," Andie said as she removed her head from Odd's shoulder. Jak pretended not to notice. He turned to Jeremy and Ulrich, whom were right behind him.

"Can't you see? We have to know what's going on!" he implored the boys.

Jeremy nodded.

"You're right. It's obvious now that XANA wants something from Andie. He never attacks the same way twice."

"You really mean it? You'll tell us?" Andie asked, excited.

"Yes. I believe we have no choice now," he answered.

Jak agreed to stay with his sister tonight just to make sure she'd be safe, even though Jeremy insisted that XANA wouldn't attack again tonight.

He was right. The next morning was (luckily) a Saturday so the gang of seven could collaborate without missing classes. They sat in the middle of a field under one of the oak trees. They were in plain sight so they wouldn't attract suspicion, but they also had privacy to talk. Jeremy started at the beginning and explained everything. He talked Franz Hopper, the super computer, the towers, the monsters, even the outfits.

"So you guys battle these monsters to get to towers to shut down XANA's attacks in our world?" Jak asked.

"Yeah… basically," Jeremy shrugged.

Jak rested his chin on his hand and nodded. His mind was blown. He didn't imagine _anything_ like this. Andie was almost speechless.

"But why me?" she wondered out loud.

"We don't know," Aelita responded.

"But we'll find out!" Odd insisted.

"So, now what do we do?" Jak asked.

"We go to Lyoko," Jeremy simply stated.

****

**OH!!! Don't hate me!!!**

**It was getting to be too long and Lyoko would have taken at least another 3 pages… I'm SORRY! But I promise I'll make it up to you. Remember what I said earlier about me needing help? Well here's my dilemma:**

**As you know, Jeremy and Aelita have already declared their love for each other. Ulrich is figuring out how to tell Yumi about his feelings. And Odd and Andie seem to have a little something, something going on.**

**Well? What about Jak? Should I have someone for him too? Or would that be too… matchy matchy? You know what I mean? Does **_**everyone**_** have to have a significant other?**

**I'm leaning towards yes, but what do you guys think?**

**And I already have someone in mind. So I don't need any OC's (****yet****).**

**^.~**


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